Resource Consents

The District Plan, as a requirement of the Resource Management Act 1991, is a document that has standards that all subdivision, development and land-use activities are subject to across the Wairoa district. View the Operative District Plan.

Each Council has its own District Plan which sets out its own rules for managing natural and physical resources within its district. This reflects the unique circumstances within each district. This means that what is allowed to be undertaken as a permitted activity in one district may require resource consent in another district.

The Certificate of Title for a property shows the dimensions of the boundaries. There are normally survey pegs in each corner of the site. If these cannot be found, a surveyor should be employed to determine where the boundary is. The Council cannot advise you on this.

All applications for building consent will be assessed against the District Plan to determine if resource consent is also required. If resource consent is required, and you have not been advised already, you will be advised in writing.

If you are proposing to carry out work on your home or building and it is on the list of heritage buildings in the District Plan, it is likely that you will need to apply for a resource consent as well as a building consent.

The repair or maintenance of heritage buildings listed in the District Plan is generally permitted although there are some exceptions. Consent will be required for any alterations or additions to those buildings listed as well as for their relocation, demolition or destruction.

Your solicitor may have a copy but you can contact Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and get them to provide you with a copy for a charge prescribed by LINZ. The Council does not hold Certificates of Title.

This will depend on the extent of clearing and the type of vegetation to be cleared.

It is likely that removal of more than 1 hectare of 'significant indigenous vegetation' will require resource consent.

Significant Indigenous vegetation typically includes any indigenous vegetation that has the potential to attain a diameter of 30cm or more at breast height at maturity or has an average canopy height of at least 6m.

It is advisable to discuss your proposal with the District planner as well as contacting the Department of Conservation and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council as we will generally seek their comment on such activities.

Costs are payable for processing consents at an hourly rate. More complex applications, those that require additional reports or hearings, will require more time for processing and hence will cost more.

A deposit fee is required on application for all consents. Consents will not be processed without this fee.

Most consents are non-notified and are processed within 20 working days (four weeks) as required under the Resource Management Act 1991.

The length of time for processing consent depends largely on a good quality complete application being received that completely describes the activity and the effects on the environment.

How the application is to be processed can also affect the processing time e.g. non-notified, limited notification or public notification. A non-notified consent will be processed within 20 working days while a notified consent will take at least two months, more if a hearing is required.

You need to complete and submit an application form together with other information, drawings/plans and a deposit fee. The information you need to supply will depend on what you are applying for. A check list is attached to the application form.

Generally, an Assessment of Environmental Effects' will need to be prepared and submitted with the application. This provides information on the likely effects that your activity will have on the environment and what your proposals are, if any, to address those effects.

Consents must be used (exercised) before they lapse (within five years of being granted unless otherwise stated).

You can apply for an extension of the period for the consent under section 125 of the Resource Management Act but this must be done before it lapses. Evidence must be supplied to show that you have worked towards starting the activity.

You can apply to change or cancel any condition of consent of your resource consent under section 127 of the Resource Management Act. Any request for a change or cancellation of conditions will be treated as if it is an application for a new consent.

Where there is a condition on the duration or term of your consent, you cannot apply for a variation to this.

Failing to keep to the conditions of consent may cause damage to the environment and could lead to enforcement action being taken against you although sometimes, such issues can be resolved through discussion and agreement on a suitable course of action.

However, if cooperation is not forthcoming, the Council can prosecute the offending party or seek an Enforcement Order from the Environment Court. In such circumstances, Council can seek costs against the other party and the Court can also impose significant fines.

There will be costs incurred by using a surveyor as well as costs from Council for processing the application.

Costs are payable to Council for processing consents at an hourly rate. More complex applications, those that require additional reports or hearings, will require more time for processing and hence will cost more.

A deposit fee is required on application for all subdivision consents. Consents will not be processed without this fee. The deposit fee for a non-notified subdivision consent is $800. Higher deposit fees are required for those consents that will require notification.

We are unable to provide advice on the cost of employing a surveyor for your subdivision.

The works must be completed and a completion certificate issued pursuant to Section 224(c) of the Resource Management Act 1991 prior to the section 223 certificate elapsing.

The s223 certificate confirms that the final survey plan complies with the agreed subdivision consent. You have five years (unless otherwise specified in the consent) to obtain a s223 certificate. A fee will apply.

The s224(c) certificate confirms that all conditions of consent have been met. You have three years from the date of the s223 certificate to obtain the s224(c) completion certificate and have it lodged with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) for titles to be issued. A fee will apply.

Not all signs need resource consent. For example, temporary signs for community events and the disposal of property are permitted provided they meet the size restrictions for the relevant zone and provided they are erected no more than six months before the event and are removed within one week of the event

Election signs are permitted but must comply with the applicable Council policy.

Generally speaking, you can erect an advertising sign on the property to which it relates without resource consent, provided it meets certain criteria such as size and letter height.

All 'off-site' advertising signs, those erected on properties other than that to which it relates, will require resource consent.

Signs are not permitted on road reserve or other Council reserves.

Selected Dog Owners

If you are a responsible dog owner then Council wants to reward YOU!

As a way to encourage our community to take good care of their dogs and be responsible owners, Council has created a Selected Dog Owner Policy.

This policy will reward RESPONSIBLE dog owners, who are complying with Council’s Dog Control Policy and Dog Control Bylaw, with a discounted registration fee of 12.5% ON TOP of the early payment discount set in Council’s fees and charges.

To become a “Selected Owner”, Council has several requirements that you must meet. These include:

your dog being microchipped

ensuring your dog registration is always paid before August 31 of each year

history proving good dog ownership

no record of impounding or infringements

if you have more than two dogs on the property you must have a permit.

Owners with dogs registered as Class S (standard) or Class M (menacing) can apply for this additional discount if they meet the requirements.

There is no cost to apply for this reward, but applications need to be received by May 31 of this year.

Please click on the button below to apply online. If you would like to complete a paper application form please download the pdf file from the related documents section.

Dog Registration

Registration fees are used to maintain a safe and healthy environment for residents, dog owners and their pets. The Council does not profit from dog fees.

Fees pay for:

Dog control and law enforcement campaigns and education in schools, community groups and businesses signage for exercise areas and canine promotional materials administering the dog pound Kaimoana Road administering the dog register, application forms and tag distribution

You must register your dogs by August 31 every year. All dogs must be registered by three months of age. Owners of unregistered dogs face fines up to $3,000 (or an infringement fee of $300) in addition to the registration fee. Registrations can be applied for and are payable at Wairoa District Council.

Refunds

If your dog dies and you have paid for current registration, you can make a written request for a refund. The Council will give you whatever remaining portion of the yearly rate remains after notification. You must also return the tag and/or provide proof from your vet.

Three or more dogs on your property?

Under Section 4 of the Dog Control Bylaw in an urban situation you cannot keep more than two (2) dogs over the age of three months unless you obtain a permit from the Council (with the exception of dogs registered as Working Dogs or Disability Assist Dogs).

To apply for a permit to keep three or more dogs on your property please click on the button below. If you would like to complete a paper application form please download the pdf file from the related documents section.

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